# Nine years dreaming of fish and chips

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-fish-and-chips-nine-year-dream
- Themes: contentment, desire, food
- Life situations: craving, immigration

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

After nine years of NE Thai monastery food (frogs, snails, buffalo afterbirth), Brahm finally gets hot fish and chips after a funeral — vinegar, salt, paper. Nine-year dream: disappointing. Goals that promise happiness often don't deliver.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

I will tell fish and chips story now. This is my own experience okay? But I was in Thailand for 9 years. And the food there was absolutely disgusting. And I I You know, I told many stories about the food there. I mean, you know, you know, your dog wouldn't want to eat it. I'll tell you that because this was in the northeast of Thailand. Anything which slithered you had in your bowl. Literally. Now, what would it What were the sort of things? Not just like boiled frog, snails, lizards, uh grasshoppers, uh ants' eggs, um water buffalo afterbirth. That's what we ate. Disgusting stuff. So, you can you can im- You can im- You can imagine just, you know, just when I came to Australia, I can get fish and chips. You know. And I'd dream of fish and chips. Even I was a vegetarian but when I was dreaming of these things. But, I dreamt of it something and at last, after about a year or two here in Australia, I was doing a funeral service for somebody. And the timing was that I couldn't get back to monastery for the meal. So, Ajahn Jagaro, the other monk was an abbot at the time, so he said, "Okay, just get yourself something on the way back." This was my chance. I could get hot fish and chips, you know, in paper. The whole works was in the vinegar and salt, the whole works. Not like sometimes sometimes you get them in the monastery, but you put the chips and the fish in your bowl and then you have to put curry on top of it or the custard comes out. It's not not the same and it's all cold anyway cuz you have to give all these blessings. That's the worst part. If ever you come to the monastery and sort of, you know, see how the monks actually eat. You know, we go down there and the food is actually hot when it goes in your bowl. By the time you've given all these blessings and all this rigmarole, you're looking at it and it's all cold. This was the real thing, real fish and chips, nice and hot. And it was so disappointing. You know, for 9 years I dreamt of this moment. And this was it. What a waste of time

## Teaching point

The 'when I get X I'll be happy' dream usually fails at the first bite.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

After nine years of Thai village food, frogs and snails included, Ajahn Brahm finally got hot fish and chips in England, wrapped in paper with salt and vinegar. It was disappointing. Nine years of dreaming for that. Our 'when I get this, I'll be happy' goals often fall flat. Welcome to the losers' club; enjoy it.

## Source

- [The Winners and The Losers | Ajahn Brahm | 07-01-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2sP0_KeNeM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 29:41 to 31:59: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2sP0_KeNeM&t=1781s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Word of the Buddha (Part 3) | Ajahn Brahm | 26 February 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlV7sBWpWo4) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 40:25 to 41:45: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlV7sBWpWo4&t=2425s